An exploration of inclusion By Megan Doherty and Chris Napierkowski

 “Class of 2010: First generation of mainstreamed special-needs students graduating this spring”  A newspaper article from The Birmingham News by Marie Leech ◦ The paper is Alabama’s largest daily newspaper ◦ Owned by Advance, a national media and publishing company ◦ The article is a general news feature

 Discusses first graduating class of inclusion students in Alabama schools  Defines inclusion and how it takes place in schools ◦ Article contains a history of inclusion in the past few decades ◦ Helps reader learn the origin and improvements that have taken place  Mentions Education for All Handicapped Children Act (1975), Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (as amended in 2004), and No Child Left Behind (2001)

 Focuses on two students diagnosed with Down syndrome  Uses their success to show positives of inclusion ◦ Students perform at or above level of typical students ◦ Research and current special education students prove how social interactions help learning process

 Article also spells out pitfalls of inclusion ◦ Not all special education students are the same, so may not have same achievements ◦ Many teachers still isolate special education students in normal classroom ◦ Curriculum not always altered to benefit special education students ◦ Student’s aide can also limit academic and social growth by completing all of the work without student input  Special education students will continue to improve with further emphasis on inclusion

 Comments from parents state the importance of education in making inclusion work  Teachers and administrators are vital in determining proper education setting for student ◦ Teacher’s daily interactions help determine the “least restrictive environment appropriate” to meet student’s “unique needs”  Teachers must adapt curriculum to benefit all students ◦ Also responsible to ensure student does the work Impact on teachers

 Critique: ◦ No teachers were quoted in this article  Never gain their opinion to see if/how inclusion works  Teachers have most interaction with special education students on daily basis ◦ Mentions that No Child Left Behind law states all children assessed equally for state goals on standardized tests  Never learn if teachers agree with this policy or how it affects their curriculum Impact on teachers

 Inclusion involves change for all individuals in the school  Requires increased evaluations of students, teachers, and administrators  Takes many years and highly trained individuals to implement inclusion  Schools must treat each special education student individually in evaluating, classifying, and developing a Individualized Education Plan Impact on schools

 Critique: ◦ Article gives impression that all schools welcome inclusion ◦ Not all typical students are as open and friendly with special education students as in Carver and Vestavia Hills High Schools ◦ Never hear opinion from parents of typical students to see if they fully support inclusion ◦ School can get away from real social and academic success when they shift focus to meeting state goals on standardized tests Impact on schools

 Inclusion not mandated by IDEA ◦ Schools required to create “least restrictive environment” for disabled children  With inclusion becoming the norm, must have fully trained and qualified staff ◦ No two special education students are alike, so must be able to handle all issues ◦ IEP and specifically trained Special Education staff help create and cultivate learning environment Impact on educational systems

 Critique: ◦ Never mentions why it took over 20 years for inclusion to become the norm ◦ Parents have daily interaction with children, but not the best source to categorize impact on educational system ◦ No Child Left Behind is treated as an overwhelming success for all students when many studies suggest otherwise ◦ Standardized tests do not accurately measure true success of educational system Impact on educational systems

 The article mentions two students by name: Nick Lanzi, 19, and Whitley Means Ware, 20.  Both have Down Syndrome and are graduating high school this spring. Students with special needs

 Nick Lanzi is portrayed in a very positive light. ◦ He is seen as tenacious in his school work. ◦ He rejects a “special” test for the “regular” test and gets the highest grade in the class. ◦ He was in the student government association and was named Most Admired by his class. ◦ It is mentioned that everyone seems to like him and other students high-five him while walking down the halls. ◦ His mother mentions “stumbling blocks” during his education, but what exactly these are is not elaborated on. Students with special needs

 Whitley Means Ware is portrayed in a similar light. ◦ It is mentioned that inclusion allowed her to make friends and go on to join the varsity cheerleading squad for her last two years of high school. ◦ Her mother mentions that inclusion helped a lot with social skills, and everyone in the school knew and loved her. Students with special needs

 Critique: ◦ Neither of the special needs students featured prominently in the news article are ever quoted. Only their mothers directly comment on what school means to them or did for them. ◦ That is prominently mentioned that both Down syndrome students were so well-liked by peers and faculty seems to imply that the reader is assuming they wouldn’t be well liked. ◦ There is no in-depth description of any challenges these students faced. Students with special needs

 A brief history of inclusion is given, which mentions IDEA, IEPs, and No Child Left Behind.  Research about the academic and social benefits of educating most mentally and physically disabled children with peers is mentioned but not elaborated on or specifically identified.  It is discussed that some inclusion programs are simply putting special needs children in the classroom with an aide and not fully incorporating the child. Special Education

 The article mentions how far special education has come since the Education for all Handicap Children act passed in  The article ends with a quote from Lanzi’s mother, saying you don’t know what a special needs student can do until you give them the opportunity. Special education

 Critique: ◦ Due to the length and nature of the article, there is not much exploration of special education and inclusion beyond the milestone dates. ◦ The challenges are not discussed in an in-depth way. ◦ There is no specific mention of any special need other then Down syndrome. Special education

 Do you feel that the success of the special education students in the article is an accurate portrayal of inclusion as a whole?  Since special education is such a complex topic, do you think the public can get a good picture of the state of special education from one or two news articles?  Do you think the news glosses over the complex challenges in special education?